Volume 6 Chapter 22-2 To the Great Temple
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It looked like I had to pass through here, or else I’d take a long detour just to reach God Keras’s temple. So… is this a shortcut? I wondered if it would be rude to use this place as a path. Belzea—the Goddess who gave wall barley to the people—is worshipped here. She’s become the most popular goddess lately, even more than the main god.
By the way, my god, Sha, has become really unpopular. He doesn’t even have his own temple anymore. I heard there’s only a small statue of him in the corner of God Keras’s temple, placed beside the forgotten gods of old.
”Huh? Potatoes?”
There was a huge silver tray full of raw potatoes. I also saw tomatoes and corn. These plants came from the New World, but they’re very weak against the poison in wall barley. Strange… How did they get so many of them here? Maybe the person selling vegetables was summoned along with the delivery truck?
”Are these offerings? Are they asking for Belzea’s blessing?”
If you could get her blessing, then maybe the plants wouldn’t die from the barley poison anymore. Would that mean they’re no longer seen as weeds? Maybe it’s not poison after all, but a special herbicide made by the goddess.
Lots of summoned heroes dream of making potatoes king again, but I haven’t heard of anyone who actually did it. Mr. Raoh’s group is trying to grow tomatoes using water farming. I heard that’s working out.
Even if these crops got stronger, I don’t think they’d ever beat wall barley’s huge harvest. Still, having more food is a good thing. I don’t know who’s behind this, but I hope they keep trying.
Ms. Marsha didn’t seem interested in potatoes at all. She walked right past them. I kind of wanted to hear more about the goddess’s blessing, though. Oh well—maybe Ms. Hóa knows more about that stuff.
”That’s God Keras’s temple. And over there, that’s God Sha’s statue.”
The temple of Keras stood quietly behind Belzea’s. The stone walls were old and cracked, and the design looked ancient. Still, it had a strong, heavy feel. If you just looked at God Keras’s temple alone, it looked amazing. But compared to Belzea’s place next door, it looked like a side dish.
The gods here aren’t treated equally. There’s a divine ranking, and it’s strict.
Poor God Sha… His little statue sat off to the side, trying to stay dry under the edge of the temple roof. Meanwhile, the statue at Belzea’s temple looked huge and fancy.
Sha’s statue was so worn out, I couldn’t even tell what his face used to look like. One day, it might disappear completely, lost to time. But to me, it looked like Sha was smiling—like he was happy to be free from people’s faith. I left a nice jar of wine for him.
I thanked Ms. Marsha, who was trying hard not to yawn. Then we said goodbye. I felt kind of bad making her come with me when she’d been up all night. I thought about giving her some gold coins, but instead, I gave her a bento box with a special egg sandwich and honey cake. She looked happy… though I still wondered if money would’ve been better.
* * *
The Keras temple… was kind of dirty. No one cleaned it well. They didn’t even bother sweeping properly—they just did a little and called it done.
Even so, someone had left offerings in front of the god statue. Not a lot, compared to Belzea’s place, but enough to show there were still believers.
I also left a small bottle of pure honey. It might end up in a priest’s pocket, but I tried to believe the god would receive it. I guess it doesn’t matter what happens after it’s offered.
The statue of God Keras was made by someone really skilled. It didn’t have the lively feeling of Belzea’s statue, but it still had a holy look to it, even in its quiet style.
Both statues were made to look like beautiful women—big chest, big hips, tiny waist. When gods share traits, people say they sometimes mix together. Belzea stands for the sun, and Keras stands for the moon.
Keras had already absorbed many older gods. Maybe the little gods borrowing space in the temple will also be forgotten and absorbed. Would God Sha become part of Keras one day too? The Stargazer job might be passed to him as well.
While I prayed and thought about all this, I felt something open inside me.
The jar of honey I offered melted into soft light. The same kind of light that cleaned the ruined village. It felt just like the waves I get from Ms. Lime. Was that really God Keras?
”Hey! No using magic inside the sanctuary!”
An apprentice priest jumped out from behind a pillar.
”That wasn’t magic. Besides, magic’s blocked in this place, right?”
Turns out, divine magic still works here. The barrier is man-made and full of holes. You can’t use attack magic, but weaker spells can slip through. Even stealth skills might work if used right.
”But I saw you! You used magic!”
”That was probably God Keras.”
”How dare you lie in a god’s name!”
”You’re a priest, aren’t you? You should feel Keras’s waves.”
I stared into his eyes and kept my voice calm but firm. I used my Mind Communication skill.
”No… no way. A real god’s miracle?”
He looked away and started mumbling. I guess he got confused. My Fraud skill must’ve worked. That sanctuary barrier isn’t so great after all. Or maybe the Fraud skill was just always meant to work this way.
”I’m Hero Saburou. I came to speak with the head priest. Please lead me there.”
I gave him a silver coin from the temple. It’s not a bribe—it’s an official offering. If I used gold coins, I’d have to give one to every higher-up. That would be annoying.
Miss Floria taught me how to handle bribes, but a temple that takes bribes openly is too far gone. You could call it a tip, but gold coins are too much. One common gold coin is worth ten thousand gold—or about a hundred thousand yen. To normal folks, it’s even more valuable. In Toyata village, maybe fewer than ten people earn that much in a year.
It’s money I need to spend, but I can’t go tossing around gold. A small gold coin from the Free City Alliance would’ve been nice… I should’ve brought at least ten of those.
Luckily, the apprentice priest was still confused, so I got in quickly. Miss Floria once said, if you don’t offer anything, you’ll wait half a day just to be seen.
* * *
The room I was taken to was pretty decent. Not fancy, but clean enough. If someone important visited, the place would shine like a mirror—no dust, no stains. The only place I get that kind of welcome is at Miss Floria’s.
Sitting heavily in the chair was a man in his middle years. He had dull blond hair, a messy beard, and wore a wrinkled priest’s robe. He even had a huge eye booger. Must’ve just woken up.
There were three gold threads sewn into the collar of his robe. That means he’s the head priest of this temple. That’s the most important part. Usually, you have to go through lower priests one by one, and each one expects a bribe.
It’s actually lucky that this place is so empty. If I wanted to meet the head priest of Belzea’s temple, I’d probably have to pay enough money to bankrupt a small shop.
”You’re thinking something rude, aren’t you?”
The head priest scratched his head and spoke casually. This guy… is he really a priest? Did someone just throw a robe on some random old man?
”Well, whatever. What trick did you show my boy? He’s rambling about a god’s miracle or something.”
”Don’t you believe in gods?”
He’s a priest, right? Shouldn’t he at least pretend to believe?
”Look. Gods are just machines of the world. They don’t do fairy tale stuff. Miracles don’t happen. They only do what they’re programmed to do when the right person says the right chant. What, you think the god took your offering? Idiot. Gods don’t eat or drink.”
What should I do…? This guy’s a real problem.
Character Notes:
• God Keras’s temple – Located behind the royal palace in the Holy Kingdom.
• Keras – God of Purification in this world. While not directly involved in the narrative, Keras is referenced through the High Slime, a noble being that serves as a servant of the god. The High Slime is summoned by the protagonist due to their connection with the earth spirits and their status as a spirit vessel. A figure who purified the cursed old Toyata Village, making it a viable relocation site.
• Raoh – Pakkyamara. An infamous, scheming, but somewhat incompetent senior adventurer known for meddling with hero summoning rituals; often gets beaten up as a result. The one who want japanese food.
• Miss Floria – Elegant, silver-haired noblewoman in her 40s, referred to as an ‘older sister’. Judge of the Supreme Court and Baroness. Former tutor of Princess Auroora. Initially stern but warms up, showing a playful side. Close with Ms. Nina (Princess Auroora’s doll copy), treating her like a sister. Trustworthy and explains legal matters clearly.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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